


Texting To Your Heart's Content

by Lolle



Category: One Piece
Genre: M/M, Slow Burn, eventual marcoace, texting the wrong number au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 16:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13745178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lolle/pseuds/Lolle
Summary: Texting the wrong number seems like the best mistake Ace had made in a while.





	Texting To Your Heart's Content

Marco sighs, his head buried in the paperwork, his eyes skipping over the words. He shakes his head at Thatch’s writing, grateful he had been reading his reports for years, able to read his chicken scratch. Ace grits his teeth when he stands up. His injury burns when he moves but he ignores it. 

There had been reports about the unknown movement on the edge of their territory. Marco’s first thing was after he’d got the reports, to send Izo to visit the district and ask around what caused the disturbance.

People had been trying for years to get a part of their territory, to get close to cause damage they can’t fix, but their family is more prepared than losing to rookies who think Whitebeard is too old to be threatening.

The past months had been calm, only some weak newbies thinking they can come and go selling drugs without any of the family members noticing.

When Marco met them, he told them the truth. If they do it again, they won’t be talking Marco next time. They laughed at him. Not for long though. One of them was smart enough to realise he wasn’t joking.

It was a nice exercise but it didn’t even make him sweat.

His phone vibrates on his desk, jolting out from his thoughts. He lifts off his glasses, rubbing his eyes. The message is from a number he doesn’t recognise but he opens it. Maybe one of his brothers had got a new number.

[13:12] i _think_ i _killed him and you’re an asshole._ i _thought he won’t be here anymore, we had talked about it???_

Marco blinks at the message, confused, as he tries to think which brothers might be the sender but he draws blank. What. The. Fuck. Has this man killed someone? Have they really send a message about murdering a person? He’s tempted to look up the phone number but resists and writes back.

[13:14] Wrong number. What kind of criminal sends a text message about murdering someone?

[13:17] _dude, im not a criminal ok. don’t call the cops_

Oh, yes. Don’t call the cops, that isn’t suspicious at all.

[13:18] You killed someone and you say you aren’t a criminal? How does that even work?

[13:23] _??????? oh man, i killed a spider, not a person!!! do killers text you when they kill someone that’s why you think im criminal?_

Marco grins a bit reading the message before he shakes his head. What is wrong with him? There’s nothing funny about it. This person can be lying to him, he shouldn’t be enjoying their conversation this much.

[13:27] You’re the first criminal texting their murdering to me. You’re special.

[13:29]  _wow, i can see the sarcasm dripping from that answer_

[13:30] As I said special.

[13:31] _you are the worst_

Marco chuckles as he gets back to work. Nice distraction from the paperwork.

He doesn’t look at his phone the whole afternoon and when he goes to bed he thinks about writing back before dismissing the idea, he doubts the person wants to hear more from a stranger.

* * *

 

Marco wakes up to his phone vibrating at six in the morning. His first thought is to ignore it but he knows it would make someone life harder, mostly his, if he doesn’t get up from his bed. Why did he put his phone so far away from his bed last night anyway?

Yawning, he stumbles out from the bed, almost falling down as his blanket tries to stop him, before looking at his phone. He stares at the number before he shrugs. He considers deleting the message for a few moments, but his curiosity wins and he opens it.

[05:30]  _so how far are you from home? can’t do the stitches on my side_

[05:32] _oh wait. you might be sleeping at one of your friends. srry don’t worry I can take care of myself it’s not as bad as it sounds_

[05:40]  _the blood stopped, so don’t worry when you wake up reading these msgs_

[05:50]  _and i won’t try to stitch myself up promise_

Marco reads it again. There wasn’t any chance they weren’t a criminal. Getting hurt in the morning? Which needed stitches? Oh, yes, not criminal. Who would even believe him after this?

[06:04] You should save the number of the person you’re trying to write Mr. I’m-Not-A-Criminal.

Marco goes to the kitchen to warm up his coffee. It would be useless to try to sleep when he has only one-two hours before work. He sits down on the chair, his phone at arm’s length to see when the answer arrives.

[06:10]  _you’re shitting me. i didn’t fucked up the number again i’m sure_

[06:11] Obviously, you did.

[06:15]  _why are you even writing me back??_

[06:17] Because you’re bleeding. Because you’re in need of stitches but you don’t have anyone with you. Because you don’t sound like you know what you’re doing.

[06:19] _i know what im doing. i can do stiches i just can’t reach this one_

[06:20]  _and im not bleeding_

[06:22] You’re lying.

[06:22]  _no, im not, shut up_

[06:23] I hope you aren’t bleeding on the carpet that would be a nightmare to get out.

[06:30] Please tell me you didn’t bleed out.

[06:34] I assume your friend is back and you’re fine, Mr. I’m Not A Criminal Even Though I Was Out At Five Am.

[06:35] It would be nice to know you’re not dead.

* * *

 

“You’re so stubborn,” Sabo says. He sounds tired and Ace doesn’t have to think about the reason when he’d woken up Sabo with his messages he’d sent him. One of the good thing that came out of this that he finally saved Sabo’s number. “You can’t even stand without being in pain.”

“I’m fine,” Ace mutters but he sits down with a grimace on his face. Maybe Sabo is right. Maybe.

Sitting on their couch is highly uncomfortable and they should buy a new one before his back kills him for sleeping on it. They’ve had this couch for as long as they’ve lived in this apartment but they didn’t have the money to get a new one.

“You aren’t a good liar when you’re in pain,” Sabo says as he pats his head. Ace groans, swatting his hand away. He can lie, he can totally lie in pain.

“Oh, just shut up.”

Sabo chuckles at him as he goes to the kitchen. Their apartment isn’t big; it only takes a few steps from the living room to reach it. They have two rooms but only one big bed which came with the apartment when they bought it a few years ago.  

This apartment holds his dearest memories with his family, with Luffy and Sabo. Sleeping together in the bed when the heater didn’t work, almost breaking the table when they were sparring inside.

They kind of make some bad decision. But fighting with a no-name group who tried to trash his favourite place where he likes to eat? Unacceptable.

He just couldn’t let that happen, right?

There were at least ten of them, but he was done with them under five minutes even though one of them cut him. That asshole.

“It’s not like you don’t have your own collection of scars,” Ace grumbles.

“But I’m prettier,” Sabo answers as he throws his hair back like the dramatic person he is.

“You’re ridiculous,”

“But you’re smiling.”  

“Because you’re being…,” Ace starts, uselessly gesticulating at him.

“Fabulous? Amazing? The best company you can have?”

“Lame,” Ace says, rolling his eyes. Sabo laughs, putting down their food to the table as he elbows Ace to move and let him sit down.

“You love me,” Sabo says in a sing-song voice. Ace reaches for the meat with his chopsticks but Sabo steals it from his plate, dumping it in his mouth.

Ace glares.

“It’s hard to love you when you eat the most delicious part of the food.”

“Oh, please,” Sabo tuts as he finishes his food. “You got hurt, I had to stitch you up, I think I deserve the best.”

Ace can’t really argue with that, right? Sabo is always here to help him when he makes a mistake. Ace wishes he could show how much it means to him that he’s standing beside him and cares for him.

“How was your night?” Ace questions, steering away from his sappy thoughts.

“Better than yours.”

Ace’s gaze runs over Sabo’s body and he can’t see anything else but his burned scar on his face, he’d got years ago.

Ace puts his plate down on their table before he leans back on the couch. He stops himself from initiating physical contact but Sabo had learned all of his tells in the past few years.

Sabo’s shoulder touches his, and something goes lax within Ace, his tenseness leaving his body. He closes his eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth and the quiet.

“I haven’t seen those people before,” Ace mumbles, resting his head on Sabo’s shoulder. “I haven’t seen any tattoo on them.”

“You scared them away, right?” Sabo asks, even if he knows the answers. Ace hums when Sabo starts petting his hair, his fingers ruffling through it.

“I shouldn’t have to, it’s Whitebeard’s territory anyway, it’s their job. If it’s their territory, they should fucking act like it,” Ace grumbles angrily.

“I dare you to say that to their faces,” Sabo says, grinning.

“It’s not like I will ever meet them,” Ace answers with a shrug. He closes his eyes enjoying the moment. The fingers running through his hair make him sleepy, he can fall asleep here without any doubt. “Just because they don’t have a headquarter in this city, they shouldn’t let criminals come and go.”

“Oh, please, you enjoyed beating up those people,” Sabo’s voice is coloured with amusement.

Ace wants to argue because it’s more than that. It’s about the adrenaline rushing through his body, it’s about concentrating on the fight and not thinking about anything else.

A few months back Ace could easily find an illegal fight with people betting who’s going to win. The moment the city became Whitebeard’s territory, the illegal fights disappeared from the dark alley of the streets.

Ace misses those fights. It was a way to earn easy money and to relieve the stress. Their apartment isn’t big enough to spar in it, so Ace can’t help but look for someone to spar with. Even if it means they’re trying to hurt him or they want him dead. Ace is fine with that, he can fight, he can protect himself.

Fortunately, people who like to pick on him aren’t that good, so Ace can easily defeat them. Even if he doesn’t even break a sweat, the most important is that he’s alive. Or that’s what Sabo always says.

“They were so boring, Sabo,” Ace complains. “They were uncoordinated and they didn’t even work together to get me, it was only a lucky shot one of them get me.”

Ace yelps as Sabo tugs on his hair. He lifts his head from Sabo’s shoulder and glares at him.

“Why did you do that?” Ace whines massaging his scalp.

“Don’t get cocky, I definitely remember stitching you up a few hours ago.”

“A small mistake,” Ace grumbles, scowling at Sabo.

“Your small mistake is a five-inch long cut,” Sabo grumbles, rubbing his eyes with a sigh. “Fuck, Ace, take care of yourself when you’re out alone. I don’t want to tell Luffy, you died by getting stabbed because of some asshole sneaked up on you.”

“I remember saying something really similar the last week,” Ace muses and grins when Sabo sits back with a groan.

“I hate you, let me be a responsible older brother for once,” Sabo whines.

Ace doesn’t even reply, his grin speaking for him.

Sabo hits him on his tight carefully, so he won’t hurt him in any way. Sabo stands up, yawning.

“Gonna get some sleep,” Sabo says, ruffling Ace’s hair as he walks to his room. Ace tries to hit his hand but he’s too slow. “Don’t wake me up.”

“Okay, okay,” Ace agrees, waving him away. “Go to sleep, you look horrible.”

“Fuck you,” Sabo replies, not even mad before closing his door.

Ace rubs his neck, his heart filled with warmth when he thinks back to Sabo. Fuck. He doesn’t even know how did he deserve Sabo’s company over the years. But if there is one thing Ace can’t let go, is his brothers.

He stays on the couch a few moment before he looks for his phone as he remembers he hasn’t read the last messages.

He almost stumbles into the table as he stands up. He curses his weak legs. His phone lays on his bed, and he laughs in the next moment as his eyes skim over the messages.

Ace gets his blanket before finding the most comfortable position in his bed.

It’s not a good idea to get involved with a civilian but Ace is bored and he’s hurt. And it’s not like they will ever meet with each other.

He doesn’t even notice his pain as he rereads the messages. As he starts to answer, Ace realises he can’t let this opportunity to fly away.

It has been the most fun he has had in a while.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! i know a few of you might have read it on my tumblr, so here good news!!! i'm going to continue it and might get a chapter in next month!!


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